1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an upper pillar structure of a vehicle, and more particularly, to an upper pillar structure, which improves a pad assembly provided in an air intake portion formed at an upper end of the pillar portion of a vehicle and thus enhances an assembling property and a sealing property.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, a car body of a vehicle takes a box shape constituted from a proper combination of various panels and frames, and the car body produced from such a combination in which the frames and a body are integrally formed is referred to as a monocoque structure.
An assembling sequence of such a monocoque structure is determined according to a layout of production line of a vehicle manufacturing company. A front portion, a rear portion, and a dashboard portion are first assembled, and then a side pillar portion is assembled. Finally, a cowl portion is mounted.
Here, the pillar portion and the cowl portion restrain the vibration that occurs during the drive of a vehicle, in particular, the twist of a car body that occurs at a sharp turn, absorb impact energy at a collision of the vehicle, and prevent the impact energy from being transmitted to a compartment of the vehicle.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an engagement structure of an upper end of the pillar upper portion and the cowl portion of the vehicle according to the prior art, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a structure of the upper end of the pillar portion of the vehicle, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a pad assembly according to the prior art, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing an assembled state of the upper pillar structure of the vehicle according to the prior art.
The engagement structure of an upper end of the pillar upper portion and the cowl portion of the vehicle according to the prior art, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, includes a pillar portion 10 and a cowl portion 20, the pillar portion 10 comprising a side outer panel 11, a side inner panel 12 and a side outer reinforcement 13.
Further, the cowl portion 20 comprises a cowl inner panel, a cowl top reinforcement, a cowl side upper inner panel and a cowl side upper outer panel.
That is, such an engagement of the pillar portion 10 and the cowl portion 20 reinforces the strength and rigidity of the vehicle, and thus protects the vehicle occupants by absorbing the impact force that occurs at a collision.
On the other hand, the upper end of the pillar portion 10 includes an air intake portion 14 between the side outer panel 11 and the side inner panel 12. The air intake portion 14 is exposed to the exterior. Accordingly, there is a problem when water or exterior air flows through the air intake portion 14, it causes wind noise to be generated.
In order to solve this problem, the air intake portion 14 includes a pad assembly 15 that seals the air intake portion 14.
As shown in FIG. 3, the pad assembly 15 includes a fixing member 15a disposed under the air intake portion 14 that seals a lower part of the air intake portion 14, and a pad member 15b disposed on a peripheral surface of the fixing member 15a to seal the gap between the fixing member 15a and the air intake portion 14.
Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a foamable resin 16 that seals the top of the air intake portion 14 is injected into the gap between the fixing member 15a and the top of the air intake portion 14.
An assembling method of the upper pillar structure of the vehicle having such a constitution will be described with reference to the accompanying FIG. 4.
First, the pad assembly 15 is disposed between the side inner panel 12 and the side outer reinforcement. Then, if the side outer panel 11 approaches toward the side inner panel 12, a flange of the side outer panel 11 is supported and guided by the top surface of the pad assembly 15, and thus is engaged therewith.
Next, when the foamable resin 16 is injected into a gap between the top surface of the pad assembly 15 and the inside upper portion of the side outer panel 11 and seals it, the assembling process of the upper pillar structure of the vehicle is completed.
However, the upper pillar structure for the vehicle as mentioned above has the problem that since the top of the air intake portion 14 should be sealed by injecting the foamable resin 16, the assembling property is deteriorated and also additional costs are incurred.
Moreover, there is a problem that since the difference in height between the pad assembly 15 and the side outer panel is large, there is a dead zone into which the foamable resin 16 can not inject, and water or exterior air flows through the dead zone into a compartment of the vehicle.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.